Abstract

Ectopic pancreas in the mediastinum is extremely rare. We are reporting on a case
of a twenty two year old woman who presented to our clinic with a large cervical mass.
The CT scan revealed a cystic lesion in the anterior mediastinum. The patient underwent
surgical resection by cervical approach. A Cystic mass with pseudocysts, cysts and
complete pancreatic tissue were found in pathology. There were no signs of pancreatitis
or malignancy. No recurrence was observed after a follow up of four years. We reviewed
the case reports describing this rare condition in the medical literature.

We conclude that the possibility of ectopic pancreatic tissue should be included in
the differential diagnosis of anterior mediastinal cystic mass, though as a remote
possibility. Surgery is probably needed for the diagnosis and treatment. Posterior
mediastinal pseudocyst is a different entity associated with acute pancreatitis. In
those cases surgery is not recommended. Our third conclusion is that pancreatic tissue
should be actively sought, if a structure resembling a pseudocyst is found in an unexpected
location.